Biochemical and Flow Cytometric Studies of the Mechanism of Action of Sulfur Mustard Using Human Cells In Culture

This chapter summarizes research done at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) in defining the biochemical mechanism of cutaneous vesication by sulfur mustard (HD) and approaches to therapy of the skin injury. Most of the work was accomplished using in vitro techniques with cultures of human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), normal human epidermal keratinocytes (HEK), and the human epithelial tumor cell line, HeLa, and was supported by limited in vivo studies using the hairless guinea pig.